Call for Procurement Monitoring Expert

August 18, 2015

Call for:

PROCUREMENT MONITORING EXPERT

to prepare and present a webinar for civil society organisations
in Eastern Partnership countries
(Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine)
Webinar to place in the first half of September 2015

About the project: Partners in Empowerment is a three-year project supported by the EU’s Neighbourhood Civil Society Facility (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument) Regional actions. The objective of the project is to help Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) engage citizens in actions aiming at improving governance, increasing transparency and reducing corruption in government procurement. The lead partner is PASOS (Policy Association for an Open Society) – a network of independent think-tanks in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia with experience of sub-granting, capacity-building, and international project management. On the grants scheme, PASOS will be working closely with the project country partners and with Partnership for Transparency Fund e.V., a group of experienced development experts providing advice and small grants to local CSOs in various countries.

Objectives of webinar:
The aim is to provide 10 – 20 CSO analysts (likely numbers 10-20) with an enhanced understanding of public procurement processes and introduce them to the most effective approaches and methodologies for monitoring public procurement at the national, regional and/or local level, including budget transparency and monitoring of outcomes. These CSO analysts are working on or planning to work on procurement monitoring or evaluation of policy implementation/outcomes.

The webinar should cover methodologies and approaches to at least the following (some can be covered by providing links and summaries, while those most pertinent to the region should be explained with a more detailed, case-driven approach):

introduction to leading internationally applied approaches to procurement monitoring and budget transparency with particular application to civil society oversight

skills/knowledge required for monitoring public procurement procedures, including auditing

techniques for analysis of complex and diverse data sources to monitor procurement implementation and outcomes,

knowledge of the policy formulation and procurement cycles

strategies for engaging public officials in policy, institutional or legal reform, including reform of budget procedures or procurement procedures.

The webinar should take place during the week of September 14 – 18 and should provide at least 2 contact hours and materials (overviews, handouts, links).

Likely profile of Expert

Experience of conducting dynamic, interactive workshops and/or webinars essential (presentation skills in English essential; presentation skills in Russian an advantage).
The expert will have experience of developing or adapting methodologies for monitoring of public procurement and transparency mechanisms and effective government use of international financial support – both in terms of budget execution and expenditure analysis, and in terms of monitoring of outputs and outcomes of the associated policies.
The expert will have extensive experience of working (as a trainer, mentor or expert adviser) with civil society organisations, independent or public watchdog agencies, international/multilateral financial institutions or donors, such as the EU, concerning procurement and procurement monitoring.
The expert will have experience in monitoring the implementation and impact of government policies, either working for civil society organisations, independent watchdog organisations, or as an expert advising CSOs in their monitoring work. The expert should have a proven understanding of the scope and potential of strong grassroots engagement and public outreach to enhance public accountability.
Experience of working in the Eastern Partner countries is an advantage, and an understanding of the differences across the five countries concerned in terms of national, regional and local public procurement procedures is preferred (e.g. decision-making on allocations, and data openly available to public).

Remuneration

Experts applying for this call should specify their remuneration requirements in the range of EUR 300 – EUR 900. The higher band would be considered for those able to deliver the webinar in English, then separately in Russian. It is possible that a decision will be taken to hire more than one presenter, e.g. one able to present in each language. Applications from a team of two presenters will also be considered.

It is worth taking into account that further work on the project, e.g. mentoring grantees either in their monitoring projects or in building their organisational capacity in this area, is likely to follow from the webinar. Any such subsequent work will be subject to award under a subsequent tender.